


Love Letters

by KittyBandit



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Love Confessions, Love Letters, M/M, Romance, Secret Admirer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-13
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-10-27 18:36:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17772092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittyBandit/pseuds/KittyBandit
Summary: The last thing Allen expected in his locker was a love poem.





	Love Letters

**Author's Note:**

> This is for the lavenlovers' Laven Valentine’s Event. I used the prompt Love Letters & Confessions. I hope you all enjoy this! It’s been a while since I wrote something this sugary sweet.

_Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?_  
_Thou art more lovely and more temperate:_  
 _Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,_  
 _And summer's lease hath all too short a date:_  
 _Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,_  
 _And often is his gold complexion dimmed,_  
 _And every fair from fair sometime declines,_  
 _By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed:_  
 _But thy eternal summer shall not fade,_  
 _Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,_  
 _Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade,_  
 _When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st,_  
 _So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,_  
 _So long lives this, and this gives life to thee._

 

Allen stared at the little slip of notebook paper in his hand, the ripped edges tickling his fingertips. He’d been switching out his books, grabbing his Algebra and Literature homework before the second bell rang, when the paper had fallen out of his locker. The handwriting didn’t look familiar, and the note seemed to have been scribbled down in haste. Students scrambled around him, hurrying down the halls to their next class, and Allen looked around, confused. Who put this in his locker? It had no name on it, no addressee.

“Hey, Al. What’cha got there?”

Looking up, Allen watched as Lavi leaned against the locker next to his, books in hand. They usually met up before Algebra to walk together. “Oh—hi, Lavi.” He glanced back down at the paper, a faint flush on his cheeks. Why couldn’t Lavi be late meeting up like he usually was? “I just found this in my locker. Someone probably threw it in mine by mistake.”

“What is it?” Lavi asked, peering closer. His red hair fell into his face as he leaned in.

Allen flinched, pulling the paper to his chest to hide the words. “It’s—It’s nothing.”

“Doesn’t seem like nothing.”

With a sigh, Allen handed the paper to Lavi reluctantly. “It’s just a note or something. I’m not sure what. Though it seems familiar…”

“It’s Shakespeare.”

Blinking, Allen tilted his head. “Oh?”

Lavi handed the paper back to Allen. “Yeah, sonnet eighteen. Pretty romantic, if you ask me.” He elbowed Allen’s side, grinning wider. “Are you getting love notes, Al?”

“I’m not.” Allen shut his locker in haste and shoved the paper into his pocket. “It’s not for me. Why would someone put a love note in my locker?” He headed down the hallway towards their classroom, biting the inside of his lip to keep from thinking about the note.

“Why _wouldn_ _’t_ someone put a love note in your locker?” Lavi asked, rushing to catch up with Allen, matching his step. “You’re cute.”

“Cute?”

Lavi stuttered. “I mean—Well—”

“It was probably just a mistake,” Allen said, cutting his friend off from further embarrassment. “It’s meant for someone else, or it’s someone’s homework they slid in the wrong locker. Either way, it’s not for me. There’s no way someone would put romantic poems in my locker.”

“I dunno, Al,” Lavi began, “I think you’re underestimating yourself.”

“And I think you just want to gossip.”

“I don’t gossip!”

“ _Sure_.”

“I don’t!”

 

xXxXxXx

 

_Love_  
_Is a ripe plum_  
 _Growing on a purple tree._  
 _Taste it once_  
 _And the spell of its enchantment_  
 _Will never let you be._  
 _Love_  
 _Is a bright star_  
 _Glowing in far Southern skies._  
 _Look too hard_  
 _And its burning flame_  
 _Will always hurt your eyes._  
 _Love_  
 _Is a high mountain_  
 _Stark in a windy sky._  
 _If you_  
 _Would never lose your breath_  
 _Do not climb too high._

 

Allen’s lips pursed together as he grabbed the note fluttering down from his hastily opened locker. He unfolded it, staring at the words. It was another poem he only half recognized, written in that same unknown scrawl as the poem he’d found yesterday. And much the same as yesterday, it appeared in his locker at the same time.

There was still no name on it, though he was beginning to think Lavi might have been right. Someone was definitely targeting his locker—though he didn’t know who or why.

“Your secret admirer strikes again?”

Allen jumped at the voice behind him, clutching the letter to his chest and turning on his heel. Lavi stood there, grinning widely as he watched Allen nearly fall back into his locker. “Cripes, Lavi. I’m putting a bell on you just so I can hear you sneaking up on me next time.”

“I’m not a cat.” His lips twitched into a mock of a frown before he slid in next to Allen. As if he’d forgotten the slight altogether, he focused in on the paper in Allen’s hands. “You got another note, huh?”

“Yeah,” Allen admitted. He reluctantly showed the paper to Lavi, flushing as the redhead leaned in closer. “I don’t suppose you know what poem this is?”

Lavi grinned as he read over the words. “It’s by Langston Hughes. Geez, Al. Pay attention to literature class.” He nudged Allen’s shoulder, his grin widening. “Your secret admirer really is a romantic.”

“I don’t have a secret admirer,” Allen protested, folding the note and sticking it in his pocket. “It’s just—someone has the wrong locker. This can’t be for me.”

“Why are you so sure?”

“Because—” Allen began, eyebrows pinched tight. Instead of finishing his thought, he sighed and shook his head. “Nevermind. We should get to class.” He tossed the note back in his locker before closing it and walking off down the hall, shoulders slumped.

Lavi followed after him, a curious look in his eye. “You don’t seem happy to get another love poem.”

“It’s not for me,” Allen insisted as they headed to class. He glanced up at Lavi, a pleading look on his face. “Can we please not talk about it?”

Lavi chewed on the inside of his lip, thoughtful, then nodded. “Sure, Al.”

“Thank you.” He didn’t want to put stock into the poems. If he let himself think the poems were meant for him, even if for just a moment, the disappointment would sting all the worse.

 

xXxXxXx

 

_How do I love thee? Let me count the ways._   
_I love thee to the depth and breadth and height_   
_My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight_   
_For the ends of being and ideal grace._   
_I love thee to the level of every day ’s_   
_Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light._   
_I love thee freely, as men strive for right;_   
_I love thee purely, as they turn from praise._   
_I love thee with the passion put to use_   
_In my old griefs, and with my childhood ’s faith._   
_I love thee with a love I seemed to lose_   
_With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,_   
_Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,_   
_I shall but love thee better after death._

 

Allen swallowed at the lump in his throat as he stared down at the third love poem in as many days. This time, the note had been folded neatly, and Allen’s name was on it—clearly legible. At least he knew the poems _were_ meant for him, but it remained to be seen if they were serious and not a horrible, mean-spirited joke.

As always, Lavi leaned in over Allen’s shoulder to read it. He felt the redhead’s breath on his neck, a slight shiver running down his spine. _Too close_ …

“I guess you can’t deny the poems are for you now,” he said, and Allen felt the rumble of his words against his back.

Flushed and flustered, Allen closed the locker and stared down at the note. “All these poems are so… romantic.”

“They _are_ love poems,” Lavi added, stepping back and shuffling his backpack from one shoulder to the other. “I think they’re supposed to be romantic.”

“Yeah, but… It sounds like this person is in love with me? They must know me.”

“Maybe they do?” Lavi added, smiling softly and averting his gaze. “Maybe they’re too nervous to tell you to your face?”

Allen didn’t reply, his silver eyes still pinned on the words of the poem. For the third time in a row, he wasn’t sure what poem he was reading. “Lavi? Do you know the author of this one?”

Lavi glanced down at the paper again, still smiling. “Elizabeth Barrett Browning. It’s one of her sonnets.” He rubbed the tip of his nose, looking away again. “I actually like that one a lot.”

“Oh?” Allen asked, interest piqued. He grinned at Lavi, mischief in his eyes. “Maybe you’re the one leaving all these notes in my locker? You _do_ know all of them…”

Lavi put up his hands in defense, laughing awkwardly. “Hey, I told you to pay attention in literature class. It’s not my fault you can’t remember what we read.”

“Yeah, but you’re cheating. You never forget anything.” Allen folded the note and tucked it into his pocket and started walking down the hall. They needed to get to class before the tardy bell rang.

“It’s not my fault my memory is amazing,” Lavi whined, shoving his hands in his pockets as he walked next to Allen. The pout on his face was adorable.

As they headed off to class, Allen glanced back up at Lavi, warmth radiating through his chest. Of all the people that could’ve possibly left those love notes in his locker, there was only one person he wanted it to be.

But, Allen reminded himself, he was never lucky enough to get what he wanted.

 

xXxXxXx

 

_Allen,_   
_Meet me on the roof at 3:30 today._   
_Your Secret Admirer_

 

The note was short, to the point, and turned Allen’s knees to jelly. This was unlike any of the other notes he’d gotten this week, and his heart raced in his chest at the thought of meeting the person who had been secretly slipping love poems into his locker for three days.

Oh, God. He was going to barf, for sure…

“Another poem?”

Allen startled at the sudden question, spinning around only to find Lavi trying to peer over his shoulder, a curious look on his face. Sighing, Allen shook his head. “Not this time.” He tilted the paper towards Lavi letting him read over the scant contents of the message.

Lavi’s good eye lit up. “That’s great, Al! You can finally know who’s been sending you all these letters!”

“Yeah, but what if something goes wrong?” Allen asked, already fretting over the meeting. “I mean… What if this is all some kind of prank?”

Lavi frowned, straightening his stance as he looked down at Allen. “Why would you think that?”

Allen tucked the note away between the pages of his algebra textbook and sighed. “I don’t know, Lavi. I just don’t understand why someone is sending all this to me. I’m a little scared.”

“Scared?” Lavi seemed genuinely concerned as he brushed back the bangs hanging in his face. “I—Al, I’m sure it’s okay? I don’t think anyone did this to make fun of you. Besides, don’t you want to know who sent this stuff, no matter who it is?”

“Yeah…” Allen closed his locker, leaning back against the cool metal. He did want to know who was behind the love poems, whether or not they had good intentions. But the thought of going up to the school roof by himself put him on edge. He turned his gaze back to Lavi, and an idea struck him. “Maybe… You could come with me?”

“W-What?” Lavi asked, blinking in surprise. “You want me to come with?”

“I’ll be too nervous to go by myself. Please, Lavi?”

“I, uh…” He scratched the back of his neck, avoiding Allen’s intense stare as he fumbled for words. “But, uh… Wouldn’t that scare off whoever asked you to meet? I mean… If it were _me_ , I would want to be alone when confessing my feelings to someone.”

“You can just hide where they won’t see you. Please?” Allen grabbed Lavi’s hands, holding them in earnest. “I would feel better if you were there.”

Lavi blinked as Allen’s hands curled around his own, a faint flush on his cheeks. “I—um…” He stumbled over his words, looking down at Allen’s hopeful eyes. With a sigh, he nodded. “Okay. I’ll go with you.”

Allen smiled, bright and cheerful as he hugged Lavi. “Thanks! Meet me after class and we can go up to the roof together!”

 

xXxXxXx

 

Adjusting the shoulder strap on his backpack, Allen took a deep breath as he and Lavi climbed the stairs to the school roof. His heart hammered in his chest and his palms sweat, the door looming in front of him like a portal to some hell dimension. Lavi stood behind him, fidgeting with his coat, though Allen barely registered his friend’s presence. He was too caught up in his predicament, butterflies fluttering around in his stomach as he imagined who was on the other side of that door.

“Al?” Lavi asked, shuffling behind him—almost anxious. “We kinda need to open the door to get on the roof…”

“I know,” Allen replied, swallowing around the lump in his throat. He knew he was nervous about the meeting, but he’d come too far to back down now. Taking one more breath to steady his nerves, he pushed the door open.

The afternoon sun blinded him as he stepped out onto the roof, the soft warmth soaking into his skin and clothes. He scanned the rooftop, looking for his secret admirer, but the roof was empty.

“We must’ve beat them here,” Allen said, stepping towards the railing on the edge of the roof. He stared down at the students leaving school for the day—some getting onto busses or cars, others walking. He drummed his fingers against the metal railing, that anxious hum still thrumming through is blood.

“Allen,” Lavi said, walking up behind him. Allen heard his footsteps against the cement roof, slow and soft.

“You should hide soon,” Allen said, still staring down at the bustling sidewalks around the school yard. “They should be here any minute.”

“Allen,” Lavi repeated, still standing behind him, voice more strained than before.

“Seriously, Lavi,” Allen began, finally turning around. “You should—” He stopped, lips parted and ready to speak a word that had died on his tongue. He stared at Lavi, not quite understanding what he was seeing before him.

Lavi stood there, holding out a single red rose. His face flushed the same color as the petals, back straight and his lower lip wedged between his teeth as he nervously chewed on it. His gaze was on Allen, hopeful and worried in the same instance. His fingers shook, the flower trembling in his hand.

“Lavi? What’s going on?” Allen asked, taking a step forward. His silver eyes went from Lavi to the flower and back again.

“It was me,” he said, voice cracking. He pushed the flower towards Allen again, willing him to take it. “I was the one who put the poems in your locker.”

“You…” Allen trailed off, staring at the flower again. He swallowed, looking Lavi dead in the eye. “You’re my secret admirer?”

“Guilty,” Lavi replied, giving Allen a half smile. His shoulders began to slump, but he continued to hold the rose out to his friend, waiting for acceptance or rejection. “I should’ve just told you, but I realized that I’m a coward.” He flushed a brighter shade of red, fingers twitching against the flower stem.

Allen looked down at the solitary rose in Lavi’s hand, soft red petals opened up in full bloom. Hesitantly, he reached out and took the flower, bringing it close to his chest. “You’re serious, right? This isn’t a joke?”

Lavi chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t think I would sweat this much if it were just a joke.” He gave Allen a timid smile, more unsure of himself than Allen had ever seen him before. “I really like you, Al. More than just friends.”

Bringing the rose to his face, Allen smelled it, the fragrant aroma soft as the petals tickled his nose. Suddenly, all the worrying he’d done over the past few days felt silly. “No wonder you knew all the authors to those poems.”

“Hey, I stand by the fact that you should’ve known them, regardless. We’ve studied all these poems in literature class!”

Allen shook his head and sighed, a smile on his lips. “Not all of us have your memory.” He took a step forward, closing the distance between them as his cheeks burst out into a blush to rival Lavi’s. “But, I… I’m actually really happy it was you.”

Lavi’s lips twitched into the ghost of a grin, his fingers twitching at his sides. “Yeah?”

“Mmm…” Allen’s silver eyes glanced back up at Lavi. “I really like you, too.”

With those words, Lavi looked like he would melt from the relief alone. “That’s—wow, I didn’t think you would actually—oh, my God. You actually like-like me back.” 

Allen laughed, covering his lips with the rose. “You’re being an idiot, Lavi.”

“Yeah, and you’re the one who likes an idiot like me,” Lavi replied back, grinning widely as he threw his arms around Allen’s shoulders and hugged him tightly.

“Oof!” Allen fell against Lavi’s chest, trying to protect the rose from his over enthusiastic hug. Lavi had hugged him before, more times than he could count, but this instance felt different. He buried his smile in the folds of Lavi’s coat and grabbed onto the fabric with his free hand. “I don’t mind. I like you the way you are.”

“Same here, Al.” Lavi squeezed him tighter, nose pressed against the top of his head as they stood there on the roof. A moment passed, and he finally pulled away—still flushed, but smiling like a fool. “Do you want to go somewhere?”

“Like a date?” Allen asked, smiling coyly up at him.

Lavi nodded. “I could buy you ice cream at the shop down the street?”

“We do that after school every day, though. How is that a date?”

“Because this time we’ll hold hands while we’re there,” Lavi said, still grinning. “If you want to, that is…”

Reaching out, Allen didn’t hesitate to take Lavi’s hand in his own, his thumb running gently over his skin. “I _do_ want to,” he assured him. “Let’s go on a date.”

Lavi squeezed his hand back, an excited grin spreading over his face. “I like the sound of that.”


End file.
